Could have been so much better.

Rating: 4/10 (7 March 2005)

Danny Boyle moves into the horror genre with this zombie film with a twist. Combined with the writing talent of Alex (The Beach) Garland, this had the potential to be a fresh and contemporary take on the classic zombie horrors such as those by George Romeros. It fails miserably.
Animal activists break into the Cambridge Primate Research Centre and find caged chimps surrounded by a continuous video stream of war, anger and hate. Somehow the scientists have created a virus of pure rage, and these animals are infected with it. The well-meaning activists then free a chimp, which viciously assaults them, spreading the virus.
28 days later a bewildered Jim (Murphy) wakes up from a coma to find the hospital, and the rest of London, silent and empty. He wanders the deserted streets looking for any sign of life. But the people he comes across have been infected and are now rabid, blood thirsty, rage crazed zombies. Two other survivors (Huntley and Harris) come to his rescue and explain what has happened. They later join up with a taxi driver, Frank (Gleeson) and his daughter, Hannah (Burns). Together they set off for Manchester, which is the origin of a military radio broadcast offering sanctuary and a cure. There they meet Major West (Eccleston) who has brutal and pessimistic answers to their predicament.
Images of a deserted London, wiped clean of humanity by a virus, are both terrifying and shocking, especially as the threat of biological terror attacks nag at all of our minds. The hellish visuals of Manchester consumed by fire snuff out any sense of hope and give a sense of post apocalyptic loneliness. The despair, that haunts every scene, increases when the characters reach the army "safe haven". The action scenes are few and far between, but they hit hard and fast, shattering the deathly silence with violent, heart-stopping gore fests. In between there is little suspense or tension, and the slow pacing leaves us craving that next attack. None of the characters are likable, due to awful dialogue and poor decision making. This isn't helped by Burns, whose terribly performance destroys any illusion of realism and constantly reminds us that this is just a film.
Its only redeeming feature is its subtext of the fragility of civilised society and how quickly we become savage and cruel when there is no authority to answer to.
An unsettling film that could have been so much more, especially when compared to the superb low budget werewolf film, Dog Soldiers. Top marks for effort though.